For Strawberry Guy, the hope comes after the magic

Lead photography by Bryce Glenn Shortly after the integration of TikTok into our everyday lives and the cultural sphere, a dreamy, cavernous tune made its way into almost every edit, soundtracking pop culture preoccupations that took up the cultural zeitgeist of the early 2020s. Imbued with a peculiar romantic pensiveness, it wasn’t surprising that “Mrs. Magic” would be something Gen Z would latch onto, as it made daydreaming effortless in a world becoming exponentially bleak. Five years after “Mrs. Magic’s” virality and the release of his debut album, Strawberry Guy – the solo project of Welsh songwriter Alex Stephens – is back with Give Me A Dream, his second record. Borne from a flurry of life changes (and a bout of virality-induced impostor syndrome), Give Me A Dream is a testament to the spacious world Stephens can build. With his signature sweeping arrangements, Give Me a Dream carries luscious textures on strings and jaunty, playful rhythms. Sign up to Best Fit's Substack for regular dispatches from the world of pop culture In between his debut record and this one, Stephens’ life was filled with a consecutive series of milestones. He quit his job as a piano teacher to pursue...